Sundargarh, June 27: A conductor of the Mukhyamantri Bus service has been suspended after allegedly forcing four passengers, including an elderly couple, to get off a bus in the middle of a forest over a ₹2 fare shortfall in Odisha's Sundargarh district. The incident, which occurred in the remote Koida block, has triggered widespread outrage after a video of the alleged misconduct went viral on social media.
The four passengers, residents of the remote Chordhara village, had travelled to the Koida Block office on Thursday to submit a grievance. After completing their work, they boarded the Mukhyamantri Bus to return home. The fare for the journey was ₹11 per passenger. However, after spending money during their visit to the block office, they were left with only ₹40, falling short of the required ₹44 by ₹4.
When the bus reached the Jamudihi forest stretch around 3 pm, conductor Azad Singh demanded the fare. The passengers handed over ₹40 and requested him to allow them to complete the journey despite the shortfall. According to allegations, the conductor refused, verbally abused the passengers and forcibly de-boarded them from the bus. He allegedly dragged the elderly man by his hand before pushing all four passengers out on the roadside.
With no other bus service available on the route and the area being densely forested, the stranded passengers had no option but to walk nearly 15 kilometres to reach their village. They reportedly reached home late in the evening after the exhausting trek.
The entire incident was captured on a mobile phone by a fellow passenger. After the video surfaced on social media, it drew sharp criticism and prompted swift action from the district administration.
Following an inquiry conducted by Additional Tehsildar Nirmal Biswal, the accused conductor was placed under suspension. Authorities have also directed employees engaged in the Mukhyamantri Bus service to maintain humane behaviour towards passengers and ensure that such incidents are not repeated.
The Mukhyamantri Bus service, formerly known as the LAccMI Bus scheme introduced by the previous state government, provides transport connectivity to remote rural areas. The incident has reignited concerns over the quality of public service delivery in inaccessible regions and sparked debate over the apparent lack of empathy, as none of the fellow passengers reportedly came forward to help the stranded travellers by paying the small fare deficit.
